


Sleeping with the Enemy

by sufferingbrooklynite



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Lesbians, Oops, Pandemic - Freeform, epidemic, for the sake of my story piper isn't a vegetarian but annabeth is, future fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23069320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sufferingbrooklynite/pseuds/sufferingbrooklynite
Summary: Piper hated her roommate. Thankfully she wasn't around all that much. But when a pandemic sweeps their town and puts them into quarantine together, they are forced to rely on each other to survive.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Piper McLean, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic so I would really appreciate some feedback both good and bad so I can improve on my creative writing. Thank you!

Piper hated her roommate. She knew that it was only a week into the first semester, but everything about Annabeth drove her crazy, from the way she kept her room spotless to her pretentious attitude that kept Piper feeling small and stupid. She huffed, staring at the chipped ceiling above her bed as Annabeth once again bounced out of the room with some friends to attend a club meeting. Piper waited until the door latched behind her before turning off her headphones and letting the sounds of soft rock fill the room. It was comforting for her to be alone, considering her dad never really had much time for her anyways. She had always felt pretty lonely even when other people were around because of her dad’s career, but here there’s no longer an excuse as very few people connect her last name to anything more than her room number. Unfortunately, this fresh start wasn’t going as well as she hoped. As she was finding out, it wasn’t her dad’s movies that made it difficult for her to make friends. The few attempts made at finding camaraderie in her classes were awkward and stumbling that ended with no real bond or connection being made and also resulted in her essentially giving up on the whole process.

As she laid on the bed letting her thoughts consume her, her phone pinged with the sound specific to her favorite news app. The notification was set to go off when a new public health article is published. As she opened her phone, another notification popped up that read “BREAKING NEWS: H4N3 Virus explosion in the United States”. As a public health major, Piper was well aware of the consequences of a large outbreak like this, especially when there had been no research done on the virus. The article described the virus, the symptoms, and the method of transmission, and didn’t mention anything about the location of the outbreak until the very bottom where it read “The first outbreak has been confirmed in Boston, Massachusetts”. Her heart dropped, the Boston University banner staring at her from above Annabeth’s desk. 

“Fuck.” She whispered to herself.

Before she had realized it, she had gone down a rabbit hole of articles on H4N3 and pandemic preparation and had gone through her room to make sure she had enough food and water to survive a quarantine. By the time Annabeth had returned, Piper had cleared her side of the room and organized her supplies in an easy to access way.

“Whoa. What the hell happened in here?” Annabeth quipped. “Is the world ending?”

“Well, there has been an H4N3 outbreak in Boston and I’m preparing for the oncoming quarantine that we are basically guaranteed to have, but thanks for asking.” Piper answered smugly. “Hopefully you’ll be prepared.”

“I doubt it will even get that bad.” She rolled her eyes. “Are all public health majors like this because count me out.”

Piper ignored the comment and turned back to her computer. It was estimated that a quarantine would begin within the next couple of days, leaving her a very short time frame to finish stocking her supplies. Even if her roommate did think she was nuts, it was a gut feeling that she just couldn’t shake.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days were full of classes, homework, and doomsday shopping, or at least that’s what her list was titled. Thankfully, there weren’t very many people as worried about this outbreak as Piper yet, making it easy to gather everything on her list: hand soaps, canned foods, a large pack of water, and over the counter drugs that lessen the symptoms of colds and flu. The real struggle was making everything she bought fit into her tiny dorm. Most of it ended up under her lofted bed and shoved between the clothes in her closet. She was grateful that Annabeth hadn’t come home in time to make fun of her for prepping so much. After their last conversation, Piper knew they were never going to be friends, and she was done trying.

It was hard to focus on schoolwork with this disaster looming over her head. It was especially difficult when she would spend hours on end refreshing the news sites and reading article after article. At this point, she knew all the symptoms, prevention methods, death rates, and transmission methods by heart and could rattle them off at the drop of a hat. Stores were beginning to be hit by waves of shoppers scared for their lives and Piper was never more thankful that she stocked up at the beginning of the outbreak. She was especially grateful when the email from campus came through.

TO: Me  
FROM: healthresponse@boston.u.edu  
SUBJECT: H4N3 Campus Quarantine

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

Due to the nature of the H4N3 virus and the contagiousness, the university is taking preemptive measures to restrict the spread of the virus across campus. Effectively immediately, all campus buildings will be closed indefinitely. Students living on campus must remain in their dorms and apartments unless otherwise instructed. Meals will be served once a day starting at noon in the lobbies of dorm floors as we are able. Specific instructions will follow in the upcoming hours.

We apologize for any inconveniences that this situation may cause but for the safety of our campus and students, this is a necessary action.

Thank you for your cooperation,

President Chiron

Piper read the email four times before she fully understood the true weight of what was about to happen. She looked over at Annabeth laying on her bed and guessed that she probably hadn’t read the email yet. Piper climbed down from her bed and recounted her supplies. As far as she could tell, she had enough supplies to last weeks, on top of the meals that the campus would be providing. Hopefully it would be enough. After finishing her count, she climbed back into bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to work up the nerve to ask Annabeth if she had heard. Several minutes later, she sat up.

“Did you hear about the quarantine?” She asked, trying to avoid mumbling.

Annabeth looked up. “The what?”

“Campus sent out an email about the H4N3 virus. We are quarantined indefinitely.”

Annabeth scrambled to open her laptop and Piper could see her reading the email. After a while, she looked over to Piper.

“You have got to be kidding me. I’m stuck with you?”

Piper rolled her eyes. This was gonna be a shitty few weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Shortly after the start of the quarantine, Piper called her dad to let him know what was happening. Much to her dismay, his secretary, Jane, answered instead.

“Hello, Piper. How are we today?” She asked. Although her tone was friendly, it was easy for Piper to hear the disdain hidden beneath; the voice Jane saved just for her calls.

“Can I talk to my dad? Please?” The only thing more annoying than talking on the phone was the run around that ensued nine out of ten times Piper called her dad.

“He’s currently out for the day and not taking any calls. Can I take a message?”

“Jane, please. It’s Piper. I know he wants to talk to me. Will you just send me through?”

“Tristan is currently not taking any calls. Either leave a message or hang up. Besides, if it’s more of your trouble, he will hear about it in a couple of days anyways.”

Piper hung up. She could hear the superiority in Jane’s voice echoing in her ears after the call, and she realized that in her annoyance she had forgotten to even tell Jane that she might not be home for break because of the quarantine. Whatever, she thought. If he cares he will call eventually. 

“Rough call?” Annabeth quipped from her bed.

“Fuck off.” She replied, sick of the pretentious attitude that Annabeth never seemed to turn off. 

“I wasn’t trying to be a bitch. Calling my dad sucks too.” Annabeth’s voice seemed softer this time; a tone she wasn’t familiar with. Piper looked over at her. 

She was sitting on her bed, back against the wall with her laptop on top of her folded legs.

“Sorry,” She pushed some of her choppy layers behind her ear out of nerves. “We haven’t really talked so I just assumed.” She trailed off.

“It’s fine.” Annabeth answered, effectively ending any semblance of conversation.

Piper turned back to her laptop, confused as to why her fingers were tingling so much. She didn’t think she was that nervous. Ignoring it, she put her headphones on and let the sounds of her newest indie find take her away from her dorm.

~~~

Piper woke up several hours later completely clothed in the dark with a song she’s never heard playing. Groggily, she checked the time. 1:48am glared back at her from the front of her phone, and unfortunately, she knew she wasn’t falling back asleep anytime soon. She crawled out of bed and quickly changed into her PJ’s so she would at least be comfortable while figuring out what to do with her time. She pulled out her laptop and opened up the next episode of her new favorite show, Legacies. Considering she was only a couple of episodes behind, it felt like a good time to catch up. After hitting play, she opened her phone to one of the random games she plays when there happens to not be wifi or service around and lets her mind disappear into the show. But eventually, her mind began to wander. Everything always seems so easy in TV shows. They always have big groups of friends and they always just knew how to fix the problems they caused. Also, the complete lack of lesbian representation is frustrating as hell. She wondered how Annabeth would react when she found out Piper was a lesbian; her dad certainly hadn’t handled it the best. Maybe if her mom was around...

In the middle of her train of thought, Annabeth mumble-moaned in the middle of her sleep making Piper jump. She snapped her head up to look at Annabeth, making sure she was still asleep. She quietly rolled over but it didn’t seem as though she had woken up.

“Fuck.” Piper whispered, turning back to her laptop.

She wondered if Annabeth ever thought about deeper things or if she just had it all like it seems. She mentioned that her parents were hard to talk to as well but Piper really didn’t think that meant anything. She was probably just being sympathetic, right? It didn’t matter anyhow. They weren’t friends. They probably would never be. Maybe that was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof I hope this is okay. I have no idea if I want this to be a slow burn or a quick romance. Any input would be super appreciated


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter because I got really into it and couldn't find a good place to stop. Enjoy!

The next day, Piper woke up with her laptop playing a random show through her headphones and she realized that she had fallen asleep in front of her netflix again. Groggily she squinted through the bright sunlight streaming through the window only to realize that it was 11:36 and she had slept through the whole morning. Unfortunately, this also meant that she had slept through her first online class and was definitely gonna have to fix that with her professor.

Annabeth had clearly been awake for hours. She was sitting at her desk fully dressed looking rather productive as she typed away at her open document. Piper never understood how she always had something to write. Annabeth looked over.

“Sleep well?” She asked.

“Um, yeah I guess so.” She scrambled to find her charger as her laptop was about to die.

“I’m surprised you changed clothes. I thought you were out for sure last night.” Annabeth commented. “I was gonna wake you up but you seemed comfortable enough.”

“Oh, thanks.” Piper replied. Her mind couldn’t quite wrap around the fact that Annabeth noticed she had changed clothes. Was it that obvious? Or had she been paying attention? After a tension filled pause that seemed to last forever, Piper managed to form a sentence.

“Do you want to go get our first lounge meal of the quarantine?” Piper asked. “I think they start serving at noon.”

“Oh, uh sure. That sounds good.” Annabeth’s cheeks flushed with just the tiniest amount of pink. “Just let me find my ID.”

Thinking about actually hanging out with Annabeth and having conversations felt foreign to Piper but she didn’t really have the option to be picky with her associations right now. She dug through her closet looking for an outfit and ran to the bathroom to change hoping that Annabeth wouldn’t get annoyed by how much time she was taking. Annabeth was on her phone when she came back, her ID tucked between her hand and her phone. She hadn’t really noticed the soft waves hidden in Annabeth’s hair until looking at her bent over a phone. Piper quickly grabbed her ID, careful not to get caught staring. Annabeth stood up and gave Piper a small smile. She looked away, caught off guard by the tiny gesture of friendship being extended.

Together they took off down the hall. It was eerie not seeing any other students wandering up and down the halls, especially on a Thursday, so they walked in silence. Piper spent the whole walk trying to come up with something to talk about but she realized that she had no idea what Annabeth was even into. They hadn’t talked about TV or movies or music or any interests other than majors and hometowns. After what felt like forever, they finally reached the lounge on their floor. Only two other students were in line and there was one staff member wearing a mask and gloves handing out bagged lunches. Piper recognized the two people in front of them but before she could place their faces, Annabeth smiled and they began to chat with them. Not understanding what the others were talking about, Piper looked around the lounge and made eye contact with the staff person. They looked tired and maybe a little stressed with the whole situation, but they managed to give Piper a look that she could only read as pity. She assumed it was because it was obvious she was being left out of a conversation. Finally, the people Annabeth were talking to turned around and got their lunches, gave a small wave, and headed the opposite direction of Piper’s dorm.

“Sorry about that.” Annabeth said. “I was going to introduce you but they didn’t stop talking the whole time. The girl was Hazel, a friend from my major classes and the guy was Frank, her boyfriend.”

“Oh, cool. I recognized them but I had never met them.” Piper replied.

“Yeah. They’ve been to our room a couple of times but it’s usually before a meeting so they never stay long.”

Annabeth turned back to the staff member and swiped her card on their check in device. The staff member handed her a meal and she moved out of the way for Piper to move in. Piper mimicked Annabeth’s actions and just like that, it was time for them to walk home. In her best attempt at avoiding a quiet and awkward walk home, Piper worked up the courage to make small talk.

“So what TV shows do you like?” Piper asked. Annabeth took a second.

“Um, my favorite right now is The Handmaid’s Tale but I also really like The 100 and Legacies.”

“I love Legacies!” Piper gushed. “It’s my favorite show!”

“That’s awesome.” Annabeth smiled. “I started watching it after The Vampire Diaries but I’ve gotten a couple episodes behind just because of classes.”

“Me too.” She replied. “I fell asleep watching it last night.”

“We should watch it together sometime. It might be nice to not watch it alone especially since we are stuck together anyways.” Annabeth suggested.

Piper felt her cheeks get warm.

“That would be fun.” She replied, desperate for Annabeth to not notice her change in color. “I have snacks.”

“Great!” Annabeth smiled. Piper could almost feel the genuine happiness radiating from her to the point that she couldn’t help but smile back. She actually couldn’t wait to hang out with Annabeth more.


	5. Chapter 5

Talking made the walk go a lot faster than Piper had thought because before she realized it, they were back in their room. Silence slipped in and they both went back to their minimal talking while examining the food the college considered a meal. To be honest, Piper didn’t think the spread looked too bad, but Annabeth’s face said everything she needed to know about her thoughts.

“What’s wrong.” Piper asked, hoping she didn’t sound too nosy.

“Oh.” Annabeth paused. “It’s not a big deal, it’s just that I’m a vegetarian so the only thing in here I can eat are the chips.” She sighed, looking dejected into the bag.

Piper looked over. Somehow, Annabeth had been given a ham sandwich with nothing else on it, a salad with bits of bacon spread around, and a bag of chips. She paused.

“Um, well,” She thought for a moment, then lit up and scrambled down off the bed. After digging around for a bit, she pulls out a box. “How do you feel about mac and cheese?”

Annabeth gave a small smile. “It’s one of my favorites. My dad always used to make it when I was a kid. But, I don’t want to take away from your food supply.”

“Hey, it’s not a problem. I stocked up for a reason.” Piper grabbed her pot and the rest of the ingredients. “Let’s go.”

The kitchenette on their floor was small and empty of people but thankfully still available for use per a later email. As the water began to boil, Annabeth set the table with the plates and silverware that they had brought down. The conversation flowed much easier than Piper had expected and before she knew it, they were laughing about shows and books and dumb stories from high school. She still felt nervous around her, as though Annabeth would go back to hating her at any moment but she forced herself to keep the conversation going, even if it did end badly.

“So, is having a movie star dad hard?” Annabeth asked, catching Piper completely off guard. Piper looked at her in thinly veiled surprise.

“You know who my dad is?”

“Well, duh. Do you really think I wouldn’t search up my roommate before moving in to make sure they weren’t some convicted felon or something? Your dad is the first thing that comes up when you search your name.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess. It’s fine for the most part.” Thinking about her dad always hurt just a little bit, especially when it’s focused on their relationship.

“I’m sorry if I dug something up. I was just curious.”

“Nah it’s all good. I moved here to get away from all of that. I’m far away from the drama and the publicity and hopefully my associated fame will fade eventually.”

“I can understand that.” Annabeth replied as the pot of noodles Piper had been watching began to boil over onto the burner. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” She whispered, turning down the heat. The next few minutes were spent in relative silence as Piper took care of the food and Annabeth scrolled on her phone. She snuck glances at her, feeling bad that she had made the conversation uncomfortable. She hoped Annabeth would still talk to her, it was nice finally having someone to talk to.

“The mac and cheese is ready.” She said, trying to make her voice upbeat and enthusiastic.

“Oh good.” Annabeth replied as she started to rearrange the table.

They both dished up their food, Piper careful to not overtake considering her quarantine meal was edible for her. They ate in silence, mostly because it’s hard to talk when your mouth is completely full of food, but this silence didn’t feel awkward. Thank god. Piper wasn’t sure she could take much more tension and uncomfortableness in her daily life. Before Piper realized it, the food was gone. She began to clear the table to wash the pot and silverware but Annabeth stopped her.

“I got this part.” She took the pot from Piper.

“Are you sure? It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes I’m sure. You bought and made the food, the least I can do is clean up afterwards.” She smiled and headed to the sink.

Piper stared at her as she washed the dishes. She really was pretty. Her blonde hair fell down her back in light waves and the way she carried herself with confidence was intimidating yet attractive. She thought about her gray eyes and how they seemed to pierce right through you when she was annoyed and how they lighten up when she laughs, like the cycle of clouds from storm to sun. As Annabeth finished cleaning, Piper began to grab the stuff they brought down so they could clear out and let someone else use the kitchen, although she was pretty sure not very many people on campus had an excess of food lying around like she did.

They walked back to the room together, talking and giggling again, trying not to make too much noise as they wandered through the halls. Piper tripped on the bottom of the door frame as they entered their room and as she was about to lose her balance, Annabeth grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back upright. Their eyes met and Piper swore the tension could have been cut with a knife.

“Uh, thanks.” She hesitated, very aware of the heat moving towards her face.

“No problem.” Annabeth said. She let go of her and entered the room. 

Piper quickly put away all of her stuff before retreating to the bathroom to change. Her heart pounded when she thought about it. Oh god, was she starting to like Annabeth?

When Piper returned to the room, Annabeth was already in bed with the light off. She could see the light from her screen shining on her face but she didn’t look up when Piper entered. She climbed into her bed and got comfortable. Right before she closed her eyes, Annabeth spoke.

“Goodnight, Piper.” She said, just loud enough for her to hear.

“Goodnight, Annabeth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I have been swamped. As always, feedback appreciated. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Piper fell asleep quickly but unfortunately, with daytime came reality. Annabeth was already typing away on her computer, headphones covering both her ears, blasting music that Piper could only faintly hear from her bed. Piper stretched as she sat up and groaned. With the global pandemic centered on their city, she had forgotten all about the fact that they still had class to attend and assignments to complete. Thankfully, with everything online, she didn’t have to change to attend class. Instead, she slipped on the red BU sweatshirt she bought from the campus store, a total scam, and logged on. It wasn’t like she would put her camera on anyways. 

She looked over at Annabeth for a few moments. She was zeroed in on her schoolwork and Piper found her mesmerizing. Her blonde hair glittered when the sun hit it just right and every once in a while she would bob her head to silent music, making Piper’s heart melt. Soon, she realized she was staring and returned to her computer, quick to not get caught. God why was she so embarrassing. 

She forced herself to focus on her online lectures and discussion boards that were just tedious. As much as she was upset that this was how her first year of college would be spent, especially because she had envisioned making some friends, she kind of enjoyed not having to trek to campus and be self-conscious the whole time she was trying to learn. There was something about lecture halls that made her worry that everyone was watching and judging her every move. At least now she only had to worry about one person judging her and she hoped that soon it wouldn’t even be a worry.

By the time noon came around, Piper’s stomach was growling but she wasn’t sure whether to ask if Annabeth wanted to get food with her or just go alone. Thankfully her inner turmoil was soothed when Annabeth took off her headphones and stood up, looking at her.

“Hey, I’m going to go get my meal and see if there is anything edible in it, do you wanna come?”

“Yeah, sure.” Piper stood up, very aware of her gray sweats and messy hair. How come she was so good at being casual and nonchalant? Piper just couldn’t understand it.

Together they headed out the door. As always, their conversation started awkward, trying to find a groove, but before they realized it, they were chatting about classes and professors, what they liked and didn’t like, what they were learning about, and then the conversation turned more personal.

“So what does your dad do?” Piper asked, attempting to casually get to know her better.  
Annabeth's face turned slightly down. “He’s a professor at West Point.” She said flatly.

“Oh, that’s cool.” Piper replied, sensing that she had overstepped a boundary on accident.

“Yeah, yeah. Not exactly how I would describe it but yeah.” Her hands were fiddling with the bag of food they had just got. Piper stayed silent, unaware of how to fix the situation that she created. After a few seconds, Annabeth looked at her again. “Sorry I made things weird. Nobody really asks about my dad and actually cares so I don’t usually talk about him.”

“Hey don’t worry. I’m the queen of not that amazing fathers.”

Annabeth smiled. “Yeah but at least yours is rich.”

“Oh, so you’re gonna try and convince me that a professor at the West Point Military Academy isn’t raking in the cash every year.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right. If only he wasn’t so damn greedy about it.”

Piper laughed. Holy hell she’s cute. They arrived at the door and Piper opened it, gestured inside, and said “After you, milady.” Annabeth did a small dramatic curtsy.

“Why thank you, madam.” She said and they both devolved into giggles as they locked the door behind them.

Thankfully, this time Annabeth’s meal was actually vegetarian so they didn’t have to make a special trip down to the kitchenette. They ate in silence, Piper debating which waste of time she would spend the night doing this time: rewatching New Girl which she had seen only like twenty times or listening to music and falling asleep by 8:00. This cycle continued for the next few days, class, get food together, class, pass out early until one night when Annabeth changed her plans.

“Hey, do you have any big pandemic plans tonight?” Annabeth interrupted her thoughts during their routine silent dinner.

“Um, not really. I’m not sure whether I should watch TV and pass out or listen to music and pass out.”

Annabeth chuckled. “Well, would you want to…” She turned and pulled out something from the side of her bed, “do this instead?” In Annabeth’s hand was an almost full bottle of red Kinky.

“Oh, for sure.” Piper agreed, anticipation making her heart race just a little.

“Do you like The Office? Because I have the perfect drinking game for it.” Annabeth asked with an excitement Piper had never heard from her before.

“I love The Office. Where do you want to start?” Annabeth sat next to Piper on her bed, fired up her TV, and scrolled randomly through the episodes before settling towards the end of season 4. “Okay so the rules are simple,” she pulled up a photo on her desktop, “drink anytime one of these happens and the first one to pass out loses.”

“Sounds great.” Piper replied, pushing her back up against the wall, ready to settle in and win the drinking game. Annabeth pulled out two very different shaped shot glasses and filled them. She handed one to Piper and almost instinctively, they clinked them together like a cheers and downed them. The vodka went down smooth and then the game was on.

The two of them laughed at jokes they had both heard before, drank more than what was smart, and by the end of the second episode, Piper knew she was drunk.

“Do you ever wish you could get a new family or like a fresh start?” Annabeth asked, giggling right after. Piper thought for a moment.

“Always.”

“You know, I really like hanging out with you. You make college so much more fun.” Annabeth giggled. Piper felt her face flush red, her head spinning from the alcohol.

“I like you too.” She responded slurring only slightly.

“Like…” Annabeth paused, looking lost in thought. “Like like me?” Piper felt the anxiety set in as her heart began to pound. Oh god oh god oh god. What do I do? Thankfully, Annabeth spoke again, giving more time for Piper to think.

“Because I think I like like you.” Piper felt her feet go numb as her fight-flight response kicked in.

“I-I like like you too.” Piper said, barely audible.

“Good.”

Then Annabeth's lips were on hers. They were soft but confident and Piper felt like her whole body was melting. Annabeth's hand found her hair and Piper slid her arms around Annabeth’s back pulling her in closer. The kiss stopped soon after and Piper was too awkward to say anything about what they just did.   
Annabeth flopped over to her bed and whispered, “Goodnight, Piper.”

“Goodnight, Annabeth.” Piper laid on her bed for a while staring at the spinning ceiling, going over the events that had occurred. She really couldn’t believe it, her feet were still tingling. Annabeth was an amazing kisser; it felt like magic and Piper hoped that she wouldn’t forget it in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. As always, comments are appreciated. :)


End file.
